Sword Among Us

It was as if Zhang Wuji’s conversation with Happy never happened.

Zhao Min did not act differently.

Zhou Zhiruo acted as usual as wekk. She spent most of her time hugging Heavenly Sword while daydreaming.

The pretty and obedient Xiao Zhao served everyone food of her own free will.

Zhang Wuji occasionally headed out in search of the tracks of the Persian Ming Cult’s Holy Fire Order messengers as well as check whether there were other ships by the shore.

Happy found himself unable to stay in the cave. He spent most of his time at an empty patch in a forest not too far away from the cave sparring against Xie Xun, who was used to training.

Xie Xun might hold Dragon Saber during those times, but he did not use any saber techniques. He just fought against Happy with one hand. Happy was only able to forcibly exchange blows with him, but his Flying Dragon Sword Technique improved!

Two days passed by in a flash.

No other player seemed to come to Spirit Snake Island, and everything was peaceful.

Happy was happy to have Xie Xun spar with him and improve his Flying Dragon Sword Technique as well as another Mystical Realm high-tier body fortification.

On that day, Xie Xun returned to the cave after sparring for less than four hours with Happy, just as usual. He also had Zhang Wuji head out to explore and investigate Spirit Snake Island.

Happy did not return immediately. He stayed in the same area and sat down to circulate his qi as well as meditate to restore his qi.

When an unknown amount of time passed, a faint breeze blew from within the forest. An unfamiliar presence appeared out of the blue in the air.

Happy immediately became on guard. His eyes flew open, and his gaze was cold when he directed it northeast.

“Who is it?!”

A man that could be barely seen walked out of the depths of the forest slowly, but he was actually moving very quickly. With just a few steps, he appeared thirty-two feet away from Happy. There was a faint smile on his face, and there was also a sheathed, black longsword hanging by his waist.

When the person stopped thirty-two feet away, Happy had already stood up while remaining composed. His fourth-echelon Nation Protecting Divine Sword was in his hand.

The two stood face to face and looked into each other’s eyes while sizing the other up.

While Happy withstood the other party’s scrutinizing gaze, he also gravely observed his face, equipment, and weapon!

The person who came over was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He was young, handsome, heroic-looking, and dressed in a purple robe with black borders. He gave off a dignified and graceful air, but there was also a faint hint of mysteriousness and supremacy about him.

There was a surprised expression that was barely noticeable on his calm and smiling face when he examined Happy. He did not bother to hide the praise in his eyes.

“You’re Happy.”

His voice was calm, but his tone was asking for verification.

Happy was dressed in a very normal-looking green robe. It fluttered under the slightly humid sea breeze. His robes and hero’s bandana danced about casually in the air, and he gave off a very gentle and casual air. However, his magnificent and extravagant fourth-echelon Nation Protecting Divine Sword gave him the presence of an elegant swordsman instead of a seemingly harmless scholar.

In truth, the newcomer could not quite believe that the calm and gentle man in front of him was Happy, the top ranked player on the Famous People Rank whose name rang through the world of martial artists, who killed resolutely, and who could even affect the top three sects in the game.

When Happy heard him, he looked up slightly, and his gaze paused for a moment on the newcomer.

“Sir, who are you?”

“One Emperor.”

His tone was as casual as usual, but he said the name he said caused Happy’s eyebrows to twitch.

‘I knew it!’ Even though Happy had been prepared for it, once he truly verified the person’s identity, he could not help but be shocked. ‘As expected of One Emperor. This presence, as well as impressive and dignified mannerisms are clearly the product of an accumulation of experience after fighting for so long and never losing .’

Happy calmed down and smiled. “I have heard of your name for a long time, top ranked player on Dragon Rank.”

“Same to you, top ranked player on Famous People Rank!” One Emperor’s smile grew brighter. “I have heard of your name for a long time, Happy. In the eight months, there have been many people who rose to fame and then faded into obscurity.

“Among them are Quicksword Xiao Shan, North Placating Duke of Great Desert, Lu Mingyue, the successor of Dongfang Bubai, Wind Void, and the strongest player on Phoenix Rank. Some of them are as famous as ever, but some have already fallen into decline.

“But your name has always rang in the people’s ears like thunder. You have already become a legend in World of Martial Artists! Now that I met you today, you do indeed live up to your name!”

Happy felt a faint sense of being put under pressure when he faced One Emperor.

The man might be smiling in a relaxed manner and speaking with him conversationally, but there was an aura that Happy could not decipher circulating around his body. He was like a sword that had concealed its might!

An invisible sword will surrounded his body, and it made Happy unable to look him straight in the eye! It also made him uncomfortable because of how suppressing it was. Happy hated this sort of feeling a lot.

“Thank you for your praise!”

He sucked in a deep breath and suddenly did something that One Emperor did not expect.

He moved his thumb, and his Nation Protecting Divine Sword exited its sheath slightly!

Clang!

The sword will around One Emperor’s body was affected, and it abruptly became sharper.

One Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly!

But soon, he became relaxed.

He saw that Happy’s Nation Protecting Divine Sword only showed a small part of its blade once it was drawn slightly from its sheath. The tri-colored blade shone with a phantasmal color, and a faint but dangerous presence gathered from the sheath while it showed its might.

Happy remained holding his sword with one hand and retained a part of his sword being drawn. His expression was much more relaxed like that.

“Sir, you have always been someone I admired. You are the top ranked player on Dragon Rank, and you are publicly acknowledged as the strongest player in World of Martial Arts. There are countless people who try to flatter you, but they cannot, because you are too far away. Even I can only watch you from a distance. I truly want to have the chance to fight against the top ranked player on Dragon Rank.”

The faint sword will of Flying Dragon Sword Technique gathered on the sheath finally allowed Happy to destroy the suppression that came from One Emperor ever since he appeared. He finally felt relaxed, as if he was facing someone of equal strength and as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Why don’t we fight right now?”

One Emperor’s eyes shone brilliantly. Suddenly, his aura grew by leaps and bounds. The sword will that rose from Happy had made his fighting spirit burn.

When Happy heard it, he laughed heartily. “Why not?!”

Happy had never managed to fight against One Emperor in his previous life, and that had always been his greatest regret. Now that he had the chance, there was no way he would be afraid of fighting!

Boom!

In an instant, the fighting spirit in his heart raged.

“The sword technique I learned is a sword technique that kills. When I attack, I cannot pull my attacks back. I might not be able to control myself from landing a killing blow.”

One Emperor seemed to have been affected by Happy’s aura. His tone turned cold as his sword will began to grow stronger. The air around him seemed to suddenly turn much bleaker as well, and when he spoke, he clearly gave Happy a reminder.

“If we want to chase after the peak of martial arts, we must cast aside matters of life and death to fight with everything we have!” Happy said slowly. He enunciated each word clearly, and each word weighed a thousand!

One Emperor’s expression changed slightly!

When he looked at Happy, his gaze suddenly turned complicated and strange. His burning fighting spirit was now mixed with a faint hint of admiration and empathy.

Naturally, he did not know that Happy’s words had been an epiphany he gained after he watched One Emperor’s battle replay in his previous life. Later on, he had used it as his motto to challenge the various great players in the game.

“If we want to chase after the peak of martial arts, then we must cast aside matters of life and death to fight with everything we have,” One Emperor recited Happy’s words in a murmur while he mulled over them. “Not bad! To reach the peak of martial arts, you must cast aside life and death. Hahaha…”

One Emperor suddenly threw his head back and laughed madly. He laughed in a very bold and unconstrained manner.

“As expected of the top ranked player on Famous People Rank! I thought that the top on that rank would be an immature person who only knows how to strive for fame and wealth and entertain the people. I didn’t expect that you would have such ambitions, Brother Happy! Very well! Let’s postpone the fight we have today until half a year later. The Book of Wumu and Nine Yin Manual will not go to waste if they fall into your hands!”

Happy was stunned speechless, but he noticed that One Emperor had retracted his sword will into his body.

One Emperor’s expression was stern, and he earnestly turned around to leave.

“Fight against me half a year later!” One Emperor’s movements were incredibly quick, and his voice traveled into Happy’s ears from a distance. His words were clear and dignified. “Right now, I have only understood the fifth slash. Zhou Yu lost to me at my third slash. Half a year later, I believe that I will have understood the seventh slash. At that time, I hope that you will not disappoint me, Happy!”

When Happy heard him, he felt fortunate but disappointed as well. He had incredibly complicated emotions in his heart, and he felt very sad.